This
year's budget debate officially kicked off on Monday with President
Obama's release of his Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 2013) Budget. With a $1.3
trillion deficit projected for 2013, deficit reduction is sure to be a
major theme again in the coming year. Obama's proposal includes a
number of cuts to reduce federal expenditures over the next decade,
including $520 billion in savings from non-defense, discretionary
programs, $487 billion from defense spending, $217 billion from
mandatory programs, and $360 billion from health care entitlements
including Medicaid.
Despite
the difficult fiscal condition the federal government is in, Obama does
propose increases for some important programs, notably child care and
Head Start. The vast majority of child welfare programs are again
flat-funded, meaning though they are not directly being cut, their
funding is not keeping up with inflationary costs. Finally, the budget
includes a number of legislative proposals CWLA supports. Among these
are the $2.5 billion (over 10 years) incentive program for foster care
that first appeared in the President's budget last year, a proposal to
make permanent the TANF Supplemental Grant program, and enhancements to
the child support program.
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